Le Pen Result May Promote Further FN Success Despite Supporters Dismay

© Sputnik / Galina Azule / Go to the mediabankThe leader of France's rightwing Front National (FN), Marine Le Pen. (File)
The leader of France's rightwing Front National (FN), Marine Le Pen. (File) - Sputnik International
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An unprecedentedly high result of right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen in French presidential run-off may contribute to further rise of popularity of the National Front (FN) party among French citizens despite its supporters' disappointment with her defeat in the election, Gianmatteo Ferrari, a member of the Italian Lega Nord party, told Sputnik.

Marine Le Pen, French National Front (FN) political party leader and candidate for French 2017 presidential election, attends a campaign rally in Paris, France, April 17, 2017. - Sputnik International
Despite Defeat Le Pen Proves She Can 'Win New Supporters'
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Le Pen participated in presidential election in 2012, but failed to get into the run-off with 17.9 percent of the votes received in the first round, finishing third after Nicolas Sarkozy and incumbent President Francois Hollande. This year, the data provided by the Interior Ministry showed that the right-wing politician secured 21.3 percent of votes in the first round and got 33.9 percent of votes in the run-off, losing to centrist Emmanuel Macron, supported by 66.1 percent of the French citizens.

"The Front National has taken so many votes. Only a few years ago, it was not even conceivable that Marine Le Pen took the presidential elections nearly 34%. I hope that this upward trend will continue although among their electorate there is so much disappointment. Certainly, the road to the creation of a real Europe of People and Nations is now a bit more uphill," Ferarri said.

France is set to hold legislative elections on June 11 and June 18, choosing 577 members of the National Assembly, a lower house of the French Parliament. The rise of support among the voters might increase FN number of seats in the National Assembly from the current two seats.

People walk past campaign posters of Emmanuel Macron (L), head of the political movement En Marche! (Onwards!), and Marine Le Pen (R), French National Front (FN) political party leader, two of the eleven candidates who run in the 2017 French presidential election, are seen in Paris, France, April 10, 2017 - Sputnik International
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The candidates have to officially announce their intention to participate in election on May 15-19.

While the FN party has a few seats in the national parliament, its positions in the EU Parliament are rather strong. The party came first among French political forces at 2014 European Parliament elections, securing 23 seats.

The FN party and Lega Nord party are members of the Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom (MENF), an alliance of European right-wing political parties founded in 2014, and Europe of Nations and Freedom, MENF's political group in the European Parliament.

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